


Dad's Home

by CrushItWithABrick



Series: How We Get There (Extras) [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura is not really dead, Alpha Keith (Voltron), Children, Domestic Fluff, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Hair Washing, Implied Mpreg, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Keith (Voltron) has long hair, Keith (Voltron) is a Good Parent, Lance (Voltron) is a good parent, Long Hair, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Lance (Voltron), Other, POV Shiro (Voltron), Rogue Shiro (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) is a Good Parent, Snippets, Veronica (Voltron) is annoyed by her nephews
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 14:16:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20508395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrushItWithABrick/pseuds/CrushItWithABrick
Summary: Shiro (and their kids) enjoy having Keith home from his latest mission.





	Dad's Home

Shiro gently raps on the bathroom door as he lets himself in. He smiles when he sees Keith stretched out in the tub. Keith’s dream tub (so dubbed by Lance). Shiro and Lance had both teased him the minute they saw it, the very first time they walked through the house as prospective buyers, nearly six and a half years ago. A lot has changed in that time but one thing has remained the same. Keith and his love for that tub, a love he shares with their three sons, who Shiro is surprised haven’t barged in on their father to join him.

It’s been three months. Three months since he’s been home. Not the longest they’ve ever been apart but more than long enough for Shiro to miss him. Keith grins back at him.

“Am I interrupting?” Shiro asks. 

“Not at all. You’re right on time.”

“Yeah?” 

Shiro sits on the edge of the tub and lets his eyes trail over Keith’s body, his pale skin pink from the heat. As he watches, Keith slides his head below the water and lingers there, his hair swirling around his face as he looks up at Shiro. Shiro feels his heartbeat spike from the lustful thoughts that look arouses. Keith closes his eyes and slides up out of the water, his hands automatically going to his head to slick his wet hair back. He smiles at Shiro and nods toward the bottle of shampoo at the far corner of the tub’s edge.

Shiro stands and strips off his Garrison jacket and tosses it over the vanity. He hears a little hum from Keith and grins at him. There will be time for that later, after the house is finally quiet and he and Lance can take their time getting reacquainted with Keith’s body. It would be easy to have a quick moment now, just the two of them, but Shiro’s always enjoyed when he denies himself just a little longer in anticipation of how much better it will be later. 

He also really enjoys this. 

It had come as a bit of a surprise to him the first time he realized just how much Keith loved this pampering. Shiro grabs the shampoo bottle and gestures for Keith to sit forward. He perches on the edge of the tub, roughly behind Keith and watches as Keith closes his eyes and leans his head back every so slightly. Shiro rubs the shampoo between his hands and then rubs the top of Keith’s head, working up a fruity smelling lather. That was another thing that had surprised Shiro, after he’d moved in with Lance and Keith, but before they were officially a trio. Keith’s love of fruit scented shampoos and conditioners. The first time Shiro had showered once he’d moved into their apartment, he’d noticed the assortment of shampoos (and conditioners) in the shower but assumed they were all Lance’s. Shiro had stuck to using his own, very neutral smelling shampoo/conditioner combo until it finally ran out and Lance refused to let him continue to use the “unholy hybrid”. Shiro grins as he remembers the feel of Lance pressed up against him in that small shower and the smell of oranges as he lathered Shiro’s short hair. ‘Mmm, you smell like Keith,’ he’d purred. ‘He loves this fruity stuff.’ Shiro feels a rush of lust as he remembers what had happened after that, how they’d ended up in bed, still wet from the shower but not caring in the heat of the moment.

Shiro runs his fingers through Keith’s hair and marvels at how long it has gotten. He cuts it very rarely and never shorter than shoulder length and it’s well below his shoulders now, the longest Shiro has ever seen it. Shiro loves his hair no matter then length but Lance loves it long and Keith loves when Lance brushes and fusses over it.

Shiro runs his hand up under Keith’s hair and massages his neck and the base of his skull. Keith sighs and, as Shiro makes his Galra hand gently vibrate, let’s out a deep moan. Shiro trails his other hand down the front of Keith’s chest and Keith grabs it and pulls him down and kisses his cheek. Shiro smiles and sits back and continues the massage, working his way with both hands, up the sides of Keith’s neck to his face. Shiro feels Keith relax his jaw as he works his fingertips into the muscles then runs his fingers up to comb into his hairline and massage his scalp. Keith sighs and it almost sounds like a purr.

“Good?” Shiro asks.

Keith nods and leans forward to retrieve a plastic cup from beside the shampoo bottle. It’s a cheap promotional giveaway they got when they’d gone to the carnival, nearly a year and a half ago now, right before Lance got pregnant with their youngest son.

Shiro absentmindedly plays with Keith’s hair as Keith opens the tap and adjusts the temperature then hands him the filled cup. Shiro slowly pours it over Keith’s head. He repeats the process again and again as he thoroughly rinses out all of the shampoo then squeezes the excess water from his hair. Keith hands him a bottle of conditioner and Shiro repeats the process, this time carefully finger combing it through Keith’s hair then piling it up on his head.

He plunges his hands into the bathwater and rubs them together to rinse them. Keith kisses his cheek and leans back. Shiro shifts to sit facing him and kisses him on the mouth.

“How was your day?” Keith asks him.

Shiro laughs. 

“How was my day?” Shiro repeats. “How was your three months?”

Keith smiles. Real time communication had been next to impossible and the two lone times it worked had proven more frustrating than anything else. They managed to get messages back and forth with more regularity but messages did little for their two older sons who had never experienced not being able to talk to their dad when he was away. Keith had taken to writing them individual messages that Lance or Shiro read to them at bedtime. It worked but they constantly asked to call and were routinely disappointed.

“Cold,” he says.

“That explains the hot water.”

Keith chuckles.

“Too hot for you?”

Shiro leers at him and Keith laughs. He slides forward and flips open tub stopper and the water starts to gurgle down the drain. He kisses Shiro again and in one smooth motion stands. Shiro sighs as he looks up the length of his body then leans in and allows himself one small kiss to Keith’s thigh.

“I’d offer you to join me but. . .” He kisses Shiro as he stands. “I promised them we could watch something called Ticky To-cho. . .” Keith trails off with a little shake of his head.

“Oh, Ticky Tock Chock?” Shiro rolls his eyes.

“That bad, huh?”

“It’s not the worst but. . .”

Keith kisses Shiro’s cheek and steps out of the tub and crosses to the separate shower stall.

“Please tell me there is no singing.”

“No singing. But. . .” Shiro laughs. “. . .no, I don’t want to spoil it for you.”

“Gre-at,” Keith sighs from under the shower spray.

It only takes a minute for him to rinse his hair and step out of the shower. Shiro takes in his nude form again and gives him a lecherous look. Keith steps close and presses against him. Shiro wraps his arms around him and closes his mouth over Keith’s. 

“DAD!”

Keith laughs and steps back from Shiro to wrap the towel around his waist just as the bathroom door bursts open and, to Shiro’s surprise, their youngest son toddles inside followed closely by one of the two older boys.

“Look, Jacky. . .” Charlie points at Keith. Jack squeals with joy and falls against Keith’s legs. Keith scoops him up as Charlie continues. “Give Dad kisses, Jacky.”

Jack smacks his lips at Keith and Keith presents his cheek to him. Charlie grabs Keith’s free hand and tries to haul Keith from the room.

“Come on, Dad.” He pulls so hard his stocking feet start to slide on the tile floor and he starts to laugh.

“You’re going to fall,” Keith says matter of factly. Charlie continues to slide then lets go to drop the short distance onto his rear, laughing the whole time. Keith chuckles and holds out his hand. “So what is this Ticky Tock. . .”

“Ticky Tock Chock!” Charlie screams as Keith hauls him to his feet and walks them into the bedroom.

“Not so loud,” Keith warns him.

“Titty tock,” Jack offers. Keith gives him a little peck on the cheek and sits him on the bed.

“Jacky said titty. . .” Charlie crawls onto the bed still laughing. “That means a lady’s. . .BREAST!” He roars. “Titty, titty, titty. . .” He gets Jack in on the chant.

“What did I just say?” Keith asks the boy.

“Dad. . .” Charlie crawls over to Keith as he sits on the edge of the bed. He plucks at Keith’s hair and whispers in his ear. 

“Yes, but no more yelling and no more saying ‘titty’, you got me?”

Charlie nods.

“Out loud. . .”

“Got you,” Charlie says. He whispers in Keith’s ear again and Shiro smiles as Keith replies. “I love you, too. Now go downstairs and find your brother and tell him it’s time to watch Ticky. . ”

“. . .Tock Chock!” Charlie yelps as he leaps from the bed and crashes to the floor.

“Charlie. . .”

“Sorry, Dad,” Charlie stage whispers. “Come on, Jacky. . .” He says at a normal decibel. Jack crawls to the edge of the bed and stares at his brother. “JUMP!” Charlie prompts. “JUMP!” Charlie demonstrates.

Keith is quick to grab the little boy before he can act on his brother’s request. Jack squeals in protest, eager to be put down and Keith obliges.

“ANDY!” Charlie yells as he thunders down the stairs, his agreement not to yell completely forgotten. Shiro isn’t surprised.

“That’s new,” Keith gestures as Jack slowly navigates the stairs, one at a time in a reverse fashion. The complete opposite of his older brothers, both of whom preferred to slide down the stairs on their rears, usually going ass over end in the process resulting in many a lump and scrape but, on only a few occasions, tears. Again, unlike Jack, who loudly protests any and all pinch, bump, and minor physical insult, usually resulting in one, or both, of his brothers running to soothe him.

Shiro not so secretly loves that Jack is so different from his brothers, though he is easily influenced by them. 

Jack pauses to look up at them.

“Keep going,” Keith prompts. Jack giggles and continues his careful descent.

“DAD!” Charlie skids to a stop at the base of the stairs and nearly falls. He laughs and takes off at a run again.

“CHARLES MCCLAIN!” Lance’s voice from the living room, clearly annoyed. “You stop running and yelling right now or no movie.”

“Daddy. . .” Charlie whines.

“Come here. . .”

Keith arches his eyebrows at Shiro and Shiro chuckles.

“Maybe I’ll get a reprieve,” Keith mutters.

“Oh, you won’t get that lucky,” Shiro replies.

“Dah. . .” Jack reaches up at Keith as he dismounts the final step. Keith gathers him up and accepts more sloppy toddler kisses. “Titty tock cock,” Jack bounces against Keith and repeats. “Titty tock cock.”

Keith gives Shiro a look and they both snicker.

“You need to work on that,” Keith says to the boy. Jack giggles and kisses him again.

“Dad. . .” Charlie dances around Keith as he carries Jack to the living room. He leaps onto the sofa then stands.  
“Charlie. . .” Shiro taps the air with his index finger and Charlie immediately falls to his knees. “Thank you.”

“ANDY!” Charlie immediately stands again then leans over the back of the sofa and bellows. “Hurry up!”

“Hey,” Keith gives Charlie’s rear a tiny swat. “Didn’t Papa just tell you not to stand on the furniture?”

“No,” Charlie replies, a huge grin on his face. “He did. . .” Charlie mimics Shiro’s finger tapping.

Shiro can see Keith containing his amusement.

“Sit,” he says.

“Dad. . .”

Shiro grabs Andy as he starts to climb up the back of the sofa.

“Papa. . .” Andy scowls at him.

“Go around,” Shiro says to him and points. He sighs as Andy ends up crawling over the arm of the sofa. 

Shiro leaves the four of them on the sofa and finds Lance in the kitchen assembling peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He hugs his back and kisses his ear. Lance wiggles and snickers as Shiro peppers the side of his neck with loud kisses.

“They’re all wound up,” Shiro mutters.

“They are?” Lance presses his ass back against Shiro’s crotch. Shiro sighs and grins against Lance ear as his hands find and cup Lance’s crotch.

“Yup, everyone is very excited,” Shiro says.

“Mmm,” Lance replies. Lance presses back against him and Shiro continues to knead him.

“DADDY!”

Lance sighs audibly and mutters.

“Cock blockers.”

Shiro barks laughter and releases Lance.

“I want chips,” Andy says.

“No.” Lance says. He hands Andy a plated sandwich complete with carrot and celery sticks and grapes.

“Eww,” Andy squeals as he sees the celery. With barely a look, Lance grabs the celery from the plate and points to the living room. 

“Go,” he says.

Shiro loves this no nonsense side of Lance, a contrast to him and Keith, who even now get swept up into drawn out discussions with both boys about who will eat what and how much and what treats will be rewarded.

“Papa. . .”

“Go,” Shiro quickly replies, unwilling to face Lance’s scowl should Andy somehow manage to manipulate him into promising something Lance had already said no to. 

“Tell Charlie to come get his plate,” Lance says to Andy as he huffs and walks away. “Do you want these?” He asks Charlie when he arrives.

“With peabutter?” Charlie asks then adds. “Please?”

Lance swipes peanut butter on all the celery and hands the plate to the boy.

“Thank you, Daddy,” Charlie chirps then walks away.

Shiro grabs a celery stick from the counter and dips it into the peanut butter jar.

“Shiro. . .” Lance slaps his hand. “You’re going to taint. . .”

“Taint. . .” Shiro repeats and they both snicker. Lance kisses his mouth and gives him a playful shove.

“This is for you,” Lance says and hands him a sandwich. Shiro takes a bite and grins.

“Mmm. . .I didn’t know we had any bananas left.”

“I saved it for you,” Lance replies. “You’re welcome.”

“Aww, you spoil me.”

“Don’t you forget it,” Lance replies. 

Shiro follows Lance into the living room and watches him lean over the back of the couch and present a plated sandwich to Keith along with a kiss on the cheek. Keith takes a big bite from the sandwich and grins.

“Banana? Nice.” He takes another bite. “Thanks.”

“Nana,” Jack chirps. Keith prods the sandwich open and fishes a slice out and puts it into his mouth.

Lance relaxes next to Shiro and gives him a smile. Neither of them are interested in watching the movie, which they’ve seen numerous times and both find endlessly annoying. Instead, they watch Keith, Andy on one side, Charlie on the other with Jack on his lap. The older boys regularly offer Keith their vegetables, which he accepts knowing full well he is being used.

“You better share your snack with me later, too,” Keith says as he accepts another carrot stick prodded at his mouth.

“No,” Andy giggles and immediately holds another carrot to his father’s lips.

“Enough,” Keith says. “You eat the rest.” He grins over at Shiro and Lance and then steals a peanut butter covered celery stick from Charlie’s plate.

“No. . .” Charlie squeals and covers his plate. He holds a carrot to his father. “You eat this.”

“You concerned about my eyesight?” Keith asks.

“No,” Charlie replies. It’s barely an afterthought as he stares at the tv. 

“Who’s that?” Keith asks.

“Chacha-lock,” Charlie perks up and looks at Keith. 

“Is he the bad guy or the good guy?”

“Bad but then he’s good but not until at the end.” Charlie looks at the screen again. “He ‘splodes the ‘swoom tree and. . .”

“He ‘splodes the what?”

“Swroom tree. . .” Charlie points at the screen. “Right there. . .see?”

“Oh, that toadstool? That doesn’t look like a tree.”

“It’s not a toadstoow, it’s a ‘swoom tree.”

Keith grins over at Shiro and Lance as he continues.

“A mushroom tree?”

“Yes,” Charlie sighs. “A ‘swoom tree.”

“And it’s going to blow up? Right now?”

“No. . .after when the. . .look. . .” Charlie points at the screen again.

Lance chuckles as he gets up. Shiro leans his head back against the arm of the sofa and closes his eyes. He focuses on Keith gently teasing their son until he feels a little hand tapping his arm.

“Papa. . .”

Shiro keeps his eyes closed and resists the urge to grin.

“. . .are you sleeping? Papa?”

He feels the little hand on the side of his face.

“Papa. . .”

“Andy. . .” Shiro hears Keith’s voice and feels the hand fall away from his face. He opens one eye just enough to see Andy looking over at Keith as he points at Shiro then pinches his own nose shut. Andy giggles and Shiro quickly shuts his eye again as the boy turns to face him.

He winces as two little fingers viciously pinch his nose closed.

“Papa. .. are you sleeping?”

“Yes,” Shiro says. Andy’s hand falls away from his face and he laughs maniacally. “Papa, it’s time or chips.”

“It’s time for Dad to have chips,” Shiro says, eyes still closed. “He’s the one that ate all the carrots.”  
“No. . .” Andy giggles again and falls to his knees beside the couch and rubs his face along Shiro’s arm.

“Are you wiping your face on me?” Shiro pops up and hauls Andy up onto himself. Andy squirms and laughs. Shiro peppers him with kisses and holds him still as he tries to stand up on Shrio’s chest. “No. . .be still.”

“Papa, please. . .”

“In a little bit,” Shiro says. “Look,” he gestures to where Lance is standing beside the couch with a small cosmetics bag in his hand. Shiro grunts as Andy shoves against him and slides head first to the floor and scrambles to Lance.

“Go wash your hands,” Lance says to him. “Charlie. . .” He doesn’t reply and Keith gives him a little nudge. 

“You playing hair salon?” Keith asks him.

“Yeah. . .” Charlie jumps up and races to the bathroom.

Keith brings a sleeping Jack over and lays him on Shiro then takes a seat on the floor. Lance sits behind him and starts finger combing his hair.

“So long. . .”

Shiro watches as the older boys return from the bathroom and Keith makes a show of inspecting their hands to make sure they really were washed. They stand behind Keith and let Lance help them carefully run a comb through Keith’s hair in preparation for a lesson on braiding. Shiro loves watching them play hair salon, an activity they’ve loved since they were roughly Jack’s age (a game Jack has not yet taken a shine to).

He sighs and smiles and turns his attention to Jack as he opens his eyes and blinks at him.

“You ready for bed?” Jack squirms and Shiro shifts to sit up. Jack flops against him with a heavy sigh. “Yeah. Say goodnight,” Shiro says to him and waves at Keith as he looks over at them.

“‘Night,” Keith says to him but Jack is already nearly asleep.

Shiro takes Jack upstairs and, after changing his clothes, sits in the rocking chair and rocks him. Shiro knows it’s not really necessary. Jack has never had any problems falling asleep. Shiro closes his eyes and remembers all the times he sat in this very rocking chair and tried to soothe a crying baby to sleep. Andy had been the worst, screaming his way through a solid month of colic right after he was born. The only thing that could soothe him was Shiro, rocking him and gently warming his tiny body with his Galra hand. Charlie was the opposite, sleeping well until his first tooth started to appear at around six months. He whined and cried and, even when his gums were numbed, longed to be held and rocked to sleep. Shiro remembers how he’d stand in the doorway of the nursery and watch Lance or Keith rocking the baby until they shooed him to bed.

He stares down at Jack and runs his fingers through his curly brown hair and over the slowly emerging Altean mark at the edge of his eye. It’s the same shade as Charlie’s, a slightly lighter version of Lance’s. Shiro watches as it gets brighter and knows Jack is dreaming of Allura. The marks only really appear when she visits them, which is normally only in their dreams. Shiro wonders if, as they get older, they will be able to manifest the marks just by thinking and talking about her, like Lance can. He also wonders if Jack’s eyes will take on more of the Galra yellow as he gets older. Lance had noticed it first, that Jack’s eyes weren’t really green, but blue ringed with yellow. Yellow that glinted like fire when Jack’s emotions flared to the extreme. A strong thunderstorm would have the boy clinging to them, heart beat racing, eyes wide and glowing. Or a meltdown, screaming and crying, would have them taking a glowing eyed little boy out of the store amid stares from fellow shoppers. At least he wasn’t given to growling, like Andy, another way he was like Keith.

Shiro sighs and gives Jack a kiss as he tucks him into his bed. The Altea marks are more visible now and Shiro smiles. It’s nice to know Jack really is having sweet dreams.

“Papa. . .come look!”

Andy finds him in the hallway and leads him to the living room.

“Look!”

Shiro admires Keith’s hair tied back in a reverse French braid. Shiro only knows that from asking one of his students, a girl who all the other girls come to for tips and hints about braiding.

“Did you and Charlie do that?” Shiro asks.

“Daddy helped,” Andy replies.

“Only a little,” Charlie adds.

“Yeah, only a little, huh?” Shiro grins at Lance, impressed by his braiding skills. “You all did a great job,” Shiro praises the boys but his eyes are trained on Keith, how with his hair pulled up his neck and throat are exposed.

“Ok. . .” Keith stands and points at the boys. “Bath time. Big tub.”  
“Big tub. . .” They race from the room and thunder up the stairs making Shiro glad Jack is not a light sleeper.

Keith brushes past Lance, who catches him around the waist and kisses the side of his neck.

“Your children are destroying the house,” Keith says though he makes no effort to pull away.

“We’ll buy a new one.” Lance’s voice is muffled against Keith’s skin.

“How’re you going to afford that?” Keith turns to face Lance and tips his chin back to accept Lance’s kisses on his throat.

“Braiding hair,” Lance says without missing a beat. “You smell good. . .” He gestures to Shiro. “You smell him?”

Shiro notices the very faint smell that wasn’t there earlier. Keith grins at both of them.

“Guess I’m finally defrosting,” he says.

“You really didn’t have. . .”

“Nope. The one time being too warm for a few days would have been awesome and. . .nothing. But. . .” Keith gives Lance a passionate kiss and moans as Shiro kisses him along the side of his neck. He pulls away from Lance and kisses Shiro with equal passion.

“DAD!”

“I’m being summoned,” Keith says as he pulls away from both of them. “Keep one another busy for a little while, yeah?”

Lance and Shiro just nod and stare at him as he walks away then Lance pounces on Shiro and they topple to the sofa.

“I can’t believe our luck. He’s home for his rut. Maybe we can get Pidge to take them to the holo zoo and then a sleepover. . .” He says into Shiro’s throat as he worms his hands under Shiro’s shirt.

“She’s gone for the week.”

“Shit. . .” Lance sits back from Shiro and narrows his eyes. “Krolia?”

“Not sure,” Shiro says. “Ezor and Zethrid?”

“Wait. . .” Lance sits up. “Veronica said something about. . .”

He gets up and Shiro hears the comm pad beep then Lance flops beside him again.

“Hey, V. . .what’s up?”

“What do you want, Lance?”

“Rude.”

“I know I shouldn’t have told you I was going to be around this weekend. I’m not taking your wild ass kids.”

“Double rude.”

“I don’t hear you denying it.”

“Oh, they are totally wild ass,” Lance replies. Shiro hears Veronica laugh. “But. . .”

“No, Lance. They drive me crazy. Well, except Jack but that’s only because he can’t talk back. . .yet.”

“V. . .”

“No. . .”

“Please. . .”

“Hire a babysitter, Lance.”

“V, Keith’s been gone three months and. . .”

“No. . .”

“. . .he was supposed to be in rut. . .”

“Gross, I do not want to hear this. . .”

“. . .but it was too cold and. . .”

“Lance, stop talking. I’m going to disconnect. . .”

“V, please. If not for me, for Shiro.”

“Good lord. . .”

Lance turns the screen and Shiro gives Veronica a slightly embarrassed wave.

“Hey Shiro. . .I’m sorry your life turned out like this.”

Shiro laughs as Lance turns the screen back to himself.

“You are so awful, V.”

“That’s how you woo me to watch your beastly children so you can have a fuck-a-thon?”

Lance laughs.

“V. . .please. You know I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t have to.”

“You don’t have to. You could just. . .take a cold shower and reflect on your poor life choices.”

“V. . .you know they love you.”

“They also love screaming and trying to maim one another and raising my blood pressure and. . .”

“You love them,” Lance says. He grins at the screen and Shiro snickers.

“Prove it,” Veronica replies. Shiro can hear the humor in her voice and knows she will agree but not until she toys with her brother a little longer.

“You can take them to the holo zoo. . .”

“Ugh, that place is awful.”

“Ok, you name it and I’ll pay just say you’ll take them overnight.”

“Overnight? Are you totally out of your mind, Lance? I’m only home for a week and I have to piss away TWO days keeping your kids alive while you. . .I mean, I was going to pay a visit while I was here but TWO days solo with them? Are you serious?”

“You can handle it, V. You’ve watched kids before.”

“And that’s why I’m never having any.” There’s a pause. “Let me talk to Shiro. Shiro. . .”

Lance hands the comm pad to him.

“Shiro, promise me right now that this. . .” Veronica gets a disgusted look on her face and waves her hand in the air. “. . .is not going to result in another kid. You don’t need a fourth kid.”

“I promise,” Shiro says. “This is purely recreational.”

Veronica laughs and Lance grabs the comm pad.

“I’m not even in heat. . .”

“STOP. . .I do not want any kind of details beyond what you’ve already forced on me.” Lance laughs as she continues. “Sweet talk me.”

Shiro hears someone running down the upstairs hallway and then down the stairs. He guesses it will be Charlie and grins when the boy appears. He didn’t expect him to be buck naked and sopping wet but isn’t entirely surprised by that, either.

“PAPA!”

Shiro doesn’t have time to get up and stop him before the boy launches himself into Shiro’s lap. He opens his mouth to ask him the obvious questions but is cut off.

“Come get in the big tub with us. . .Daddy, who are you talking to. . .AUNTIE V! HI!”

Shiro can see Veronica’s horrified reaction as she realizes her nephew is greeting her in the buff.

“Hi Charlie. . .”

“We watched Ticky Tock Chock and had peabutter celery and Daddy made a braid and. . .you want to go in the big tub with us?”

“Absolutely not,” Veronica replies.

“Will you come to our house?”

“Maybe.”

“Dizzy went up a tree and. . .”

“Charlie. . .” The boy looks at Shiro. “Aunt V wants to talk to Daddy. Say goodnight.”

“You promise to come see us and Dizzy and we can go to the holo zoo and. . .”

“Charlie. . .” Shiro prompts.

“‘Night Auntie V. I love you!” Charlie kisses the comm screen and lets Shiro lead him away from the living room.

“Why are you running around naked?” Shiro finally asks him.

“I don’t know.” He trots ahead of Shiro into the master bedroom and back to the master bath. “I gave Auntie V a ‘night kiss,” he announces.

“Auntie V is here. . .” Andy stands up in the tub and Keith keeps him from getting out.

“You get out and you’re done,” he warns.

“I have to pee,” Andy counters. 

Keith holds his gaze.

“You better pee or you’re not getting back in.” He lifts Andy out of the tub and adds. “No running.”

Andy tiptoes across the room as Charlie giggles and dances naked at the side of the tub.

“Dad. . .”

“No,” Keith says. “You took off when you said you were just going to pee. You’re done.” He drops a towel over the boy’s head and starts drying his hair.

“Dad. . .” Charlie’s whines are muffled by the towel. “No fair. . .”

Keith ignores the protest and hands the towel to the boy.

“Finish drying and get dressed.” He points to the clothes on the vanity.

“Papa. . .” Charlie starts to protest his case and Shiro shakes his head.

“Dad’s tub, Dad’s rules,” he says. “Get dressed.”

Charlie puts on a dramatic pout but doesn’t argue, which doesn’t surprise Shiro. They rarely argue when it comes to Keith’s rules about the big tub.

“Charlie’s done?” Andy asks as he tiptoes back to the tub.

“Yup. You want to get back in?”

Andy looks from his brother, who’s drying himself at the slowest pace Shiro has ever seen, then at the tub.

“Just me?”

“Yup,” Keith replies. “I’m counting to five so you better decide. One. . .”

Andy looks at Shiro.

“Papa, dry my hair,” he says, signaling he’s done with the tub.

“Please. . .” Shiro prompts.

“Please,” Andy replies. From under the towel Shiro hears him ask. “Can I give Auntie V ‘night kiss, too?”

“We’ll have to see if she’s still talking with Daddy. Hurry up and get dressed.”

He helps Andy while watching Charlie, now seated on the floor, still naked, his arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face.

“You gonna pout there all night or are we going to have a story in bed?” Keith asks him as he wipes up the water on the floor.

Charlie puffs out his lower lip in reply and Shiro has to look away to keep from laughing. He pats Andy on the rear.

“No yelling,” he says. “Go downstairs and see if Daddy’s still on the comm with Auntie V then come back up here for your story, ok.”

“Ok.”

Andy races from the room and Shiro is surprised when he doesn’t hear him yelling at all. Keith catches his eye and flicks his eyes to the door before he speaks.

“Ready?”

“Yup,” Shiro replies. He turns and exits the bathroom and Keith follows him, flicking off the lights. 

“Dad. . .” Charlie calls as the door starts to close. “No. . .don’t go. . .”

Shiro feels a pang of regret when Keith snaps the light on again and sees tears in Charlie’s eyes. 

“Come on, get dressed,” Keith says. He wipes the tears from Charlie’s face. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Papa. . .” Charlie reaches for Shiro. 

“You’re ok,” he offers. “Get dressed and Dad will read you a story.”

“You too?”

“Yes.”

“And Daddy?”

“Yes,” Keith says for Shiro.

“In the big bed?” Charlie’s tears are long gone and Shiro can hear the mischievous tone in his voice.

“No,” Shiro and Keith say in unison. 

“Your bed,” Keith adds.

Shiro leaves them in the bathroom and goes downstairs to check on Andy and retrieve Lance for storytime. He finds them relaxing on the sofa, still chatting with Veronica.

“Bedtime.” Shiro leans over the back of the sofa and kisses Andy’s head.

“Go put your kids to bed,” Veronica says to Lance. “Goodnight, Andy,” she says to the boy. “Goodnight, Shiro.” She waves at them both then focuses on Lance again. “Call me tomorrow and we can hash out the details.”

“Thank you, V. Love you.”

“I don’t know why, but I love you, too.”

“So?” Shiro asks him as Lance carries a very sleepy Andy toward the stairs.

“We’re good,” Lance says with a grin.

They take Andy upstairs to the room he shares with his brother. Keith is already seated on the bed, his arm around Charlie, who is barely awake. Despite their losing battle with sleep, both boys insist on having each of their fathers read from the book and manage to stay awake for almost the entire thing.

“V’s going to watch them this weekend,” Lance tells Keith when they are safely out of the boys’ bedroom.

“Hmm,” Keith replies. “Does that mean you just want to wait. . .”

Shiro grabs him around the waist and tosses him over his shoulder. It’s not quite as easy to do as it was years ago, but it’s still not too much of a challenge. Especially when the end result will be Keith in their bed, naked and eager. Keith laughs and slaps Shiro’s ass as Shiro follows Lance into their bedroom and kicks the door closed behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> Andy and Charlie (twins) are just shy of 7 years old and Jack is just shy of 2 years old. 
> 
> Veronica really doesn't like kids but she does love her nephews even though they drive her to drink (not that that is a very far drive).
> 
> Like all the drabbles in this series, they might give away stuff that has not yet happened in the main story (or they might not). And, parts of this drabble might end up word for word in the main story.


End file.
